Scientific Experts to Discuss Nanotechnology Role in Medicine at ACS Symposium

Published on August 20, 2010 at 12:53 AM

Cerulean Pharma Inc., a leader in designing and developing nanopharmaceuticals, today announced it will assemble a group of leading scientific experts at the American Chemical Society’s (“ACS”) 240th National Meeting & Exposition for a three-day thought leadership summit on the advancement of nanotechnology in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries.

ACS, which bills itself as the world’s largest scientific society, will host its national meeting from August 22 through August 26 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

The inaugural symposium, titled “Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery and Imaging,” will feature close to 60 oral and poster presentations from renowned U.S. and international researchers. Key themes will include diagnostic imaging, experimental therapy, and drug delivery technologies for therapeutic agents ranging from small molecules and peptides, to new classes of therapies such as siRNA.

“Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize medicine by improving the safety, efficacy, and bioavailability of therapies,” said Robert S. Langer, Ph.D., David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a keynote speaker at the nanotechnology summit. “An ACS National Meeting symposium, focused on the key role nanotechnology will play in the future of medicine, represents significant validation for this exciting research area.”

Dr. Langer will deliver his keynote address on Sunday, August 22, highlighting the most promising potential applications of nanotechnology in medicine. A second keynote address will be delivered on Monday, August 23, by Piotr Grodzinski, Ph.D., Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, which will focus on the latest development in nanotechnology-based cancer therapy.

“ACS is a premier global scientific organization whose decision to highlight nanotechnology in medicine lends significant credibility to this emerging field,” said Oliver Fetzer, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cerulean.

“We are excited to convene leading scientific experts who are shaping the future of this promising research area,” added John Ryan, Ph.D., M.D., Cerulean’s Chief Medical Officer. “Cerulean is committed to continuing its leadership position in nanopharmaceuticals by advancing its clinical and pre-clinical programs, and by creating opportunities for thought leaders to gather and discuss new discoveries and advances in the technology.”

At the symposium, Dr. Ryan will be presenting data on CRLX101 (formerly IT-101), Cerulean’s clinical nanopharmaceutical drug candidate in Phase 2a development. Company scientists will also be presenting data on CRLX288, one of Cerulean’s pre-clinical development candidates, details of which will be revealed for the first time at this symposium.